Electrotherapy



April 15, 1947. wElNMAN 2,418,917

I ELECTROTHERAPY Filed Oct. '18, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 15, 1947. F. WEINMAN ELECTROTHERAPY 2 Shets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 18, 1944 U HU V g-rvucm fm Eed Vl z'nman MN III Patented Apr. 15, 1947 UNITED STATE s PATENT OFF-ICE 2 Claims.

. 1 This invention relates to therapeutic devices. An obiect of this invention is to provide an electrically operated device which is adapted for treatment of various physical ailments.

Another object of this invention i to provide a therapeutic device wherein electric shock may be combined with heat produced from electricity for treatment of numerous ailments such as rheumatism or the like.

A further object of this invention is to provide a therapeutic device of this kind which includes an improved means for regulating the amount of electric current delivered by the device.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a therapeutic device constructed according to an embodiment of this invention.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of an attachment for use with this invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 2 is a detailed side elevation of one of the foot contacts removed from the device.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the electric circuits embodied in this invention.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral I designates generally a base which may be constructed of wood or other suitable material and which has secured to the lower side thereof a plurality of supporting feet I3. The base I0 is formed with an inclined upper surface II extending inwardly and. upwardly from one end thereof and a pair of contact plates I2 and I2 are secured to the inclined surface II by fastening members I4 and I5, respectively.

The plate I2 at its outer or forward end is formed with a barrel I6 and the plate I2 at its outer or forward end is formed with a barrel H. A wire I8 is secured in the barrel I6 of plate I2, and a wire I9 is secured in barrel 11. The two wires I8 and I9 are secured to an outlet socket 20 which is secured by suitable fastening means to the forward end of the base In below the contact plates I2 and I2**. Plate I2 at the innet end is formed with a depending extension 2| which extends downwardly into a recess or reservoir 22 formed in the base In at the rear ends of the plates I2 and I2**.

The vertical extension 2I is also formed with a horizontal extension 23 and one end of a swingable circuit regulating member 24 -is pivotally secured as at 25 to the horizontal extension 23. The regulating member 24' is of serpentine configuration and at its free end is provided with an upwardly extending arm 26, and the latter has a horizontal extension 21 on which an insulating knob 28 is secured. The extension 21 overlies the upper side of the base Ill and the adjacent end of the reservoir 22 i provided with graduations 29 which are correlated with the extension 21 so that the user of this device can regulate the amount of electric current which is being passed to contact plates I2 and I 2 Plate I2 as shown in Figure 2 is formed with a vertical depending extension 30 extending into the reservoir 22, and a terminal 3| is secured to the lower portion of the extension 30.

The reservoir 22 isadapted to have water 32 mounted therein, the water providing a resistance elementand at the same time a conductor which connects the inner ends of the contact plates I2 and I2 together. The bottom wall 33 of the reservoir 22 is provided with an opening 34 which is normally closed by a tapered plug 35 so that the water may be drained from the reservoir 22 as may be desired. The contact plate I2 as shown in Figure 4 has connected therewith one end of a wire 36 and this wire at the opposite end is adapted to be connected to a source of electric current supply. A second wire 31 is connected at one end to the supply source and at the other end is connected to a socket 38 secured to the upper side of the base Ii) adjacent the rear thereof.

A high resistance light bulb 39 is mounted in the socket 38 and is adapted when lighted to provide the necessary resistance in conjunction with the water 32 for regulating the amount of current discharged from contact plates I2 and I2". A wire 4|) is connected to the opposite side of the light socket 38 and is connected to a wire 4|, the latter being connected to terminal 3|. A manually operable switch 42 is interposed in wire so that electric current may selectively be passed through light bulb 39 to wire M and terminal 3|.

A second light bulb socket 43 is connected by means of a Wire 44 to a wire 45 with the latter wire connected to wire 31. A wire 46 connects socket 43 to wire 4| and a switch 41 is interposed in wire 46. A third socket 148 is mounted on the base It] and is connected by a wire 49 to wire 45.

A wire 50 connects socket 48 with wire 4| and a switch 5| is interposed in wire 50. A high resistance light bulb 52 is mounted in socket 43 and a high resistance light bulb 53 is mounted in socket 48.

In order to provide a means whereby electric current from the contact plates I2 and l2 may be extended to the hands of the user, I have provided a pair of hand gripping members 54 and 55. The'member 55 is connected by means of a wire 56 to one side of a plug connector 5'! and hand gripping member 55 is connected by means of a wire 58 to the other side of connector 57.

Connector 51 is adapted to be engaged with connector socket 20. Base I 0 has extending from one side thereof a U-shaped handle 59 which has the opposite parallel sides thereof sunk or embedded within the base Ill. A handle 59 provides a convenient means whereby the base In may be readily shiftedto the desired point for engagement with the source of electric current supply.

Reservoir 22 is normally closed by means of a closure 60 which is pivotally secured at its rear end as at El to the base I 9, and a pivoted locking member 62 which is positioned between the contact plates 42 and l2*- is adapted to engage the forward end of closure 60 so as to hold the latter in closed position over the reservoir 22.

In the use and operation of this device, wires '36 and 37 are connected to a source of electric current supply and reservoir '22 is substantially filled with water. Switch 42 may be closed so as to light the light bulb 39 and thereby provide one degree of resistance to plate I2 When regulating member 24 is moved rearwardly or away from ing from regulating member 24 to terminal 3i.

The user of the deviceis adapted to place one foot on each of plates 12 and l2 so that the electric current will pass into the body through the 4 feet. If it is desired to also have the electric current pass through the hands and arms of the user, connector 51 is engaged with socket 20 and the hand gripping members 54 and are positioned in the hands of the user.

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical device comprising a base, a pair of spaced contact'plates mounted on said base in spaced apart parallel relation and inclined to the horizontal, a liquid reservoir. formed in said base, extensions carried by said'plates engaging Within said reservoir, a regulating member disposed within said reservoir and D-ivotally carried-at one end by one of said extensions, said regulating member being swingable toward or away from the other of said extensions to thereby vary the resistance of the liquid in said reservoir, a non-conducting cover over said reservoir, and means connecting said plates with a source of electric current supply,

2. An electrical device as set forthin claim 1 including a plurality of selective illuminable resistance members carried by said base and interposed in said connecting means. 1

FRED WEINMAN.

REFERENCES CITED 7 The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Kovacs, Electrotherapy and Light 1 Therapy, 2nd ed;, 1935, pp. 149-150. (Copy in Div. 55.) 

